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Snapshots: NHL Expansion, Thomson, Newhook

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The NHL is eyeing expansion, with commissioner Gary Bettman naming Salt Lake City, Houston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Omaha all as cities that have expressed interest in housing an NHL club. Houston and Omaha are the only cities on the list not currently housing an ECHL club, though Omaha makes up for it with the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Division 1 NCAA team and the USHL’s Omaha Lancers juniors club. Houston did host a minor league club from 1994 to 2013, though they relocated to Des Moines Iowa ahead of the 2013-14 season. The city has been without professional hockey ever since, though this season does mark the first time since World War II that the University of Houston has hosted a club hockey team.

How the NHL will go about reconfiguring divisions if one, or all, of these five cities receive a team is unclear. The list seemingly places three clubs undeniably in the Western Conference – Salt Lake City, Houston, and Omaha – while Atlanta would settle back into their place in the Eastern Conference. Cincinnati would be the toss-up, with the city situated perfectly on the line of conference ambiguity. It’s west of Detroit and Columbus – two teams that have spent time in both conferences – but still east of Nashville, a city that could reasonably mark where the Western Conference ends and the Eastern Conference begins. It seems most likely that Cincinnati will be the balancing piece in any new NHL expansions, if and when they happen.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Ottawa Senators are open to shopping around defenseman Lassi Thomson, per team reporter Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. A recent report on Sweden’s Expressen shared that the defenseman could return to Scandinavian hockey, joining the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks. This rumored move could be a driving factor in any trade talks, as Ottawa will surely want a return on their investment and any recipient will want to ensure they’re getting a long-term piece. Thomson, 23, has spent all season in the AHL, totaling 11 points through 40 games. He’s also added 40 penalty minutes and a -11. All of these stats are a step down from Thomson’s 2022-23 season, when he managed 33 points, 28 penalty minutes, and a -9 through 56 AHL games. The former 2019 first-round pick played two seasons in the Liiga, Finland’s top league, after being drafted and before his career in North American pros began at the end of the 2020-21 season.
  • Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Newhook is aiming for a return soon, says team general manager Kent Hughes. Newhook was announced as out for 10-to-12 weeks in early-December after suffering a high ankle sprain. That projection places his return in mid-February, at the earliest – though his return to the ice in late January suggests he’s progressing nicely. Newhook has appeared in 23 games with Montreal this season, scoring seven goals and 13 points. It’s his first time playing in Canada since his two-year stretch in the BCHL prior to being drafted. The Canadiens traded a 2023 first and second round draft pick, as well as Gianni Fairbrother, to the Colorado Avalanche this summer in exchange for Newhook.

Senators Recall Kevin Mandolese, Assign Mads Sogaard To AHL

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Following their game last night versus Detroit, the Senators made a pair of roster moves.  The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Mads Sogaard was assigned to AHL Belleville.  Taking his place on the roster is netminder Kevin Mandolese who was recalled.

Sogaard had been up for the last three weeks while covering for goaltender Anton Forsberg who is dealing with a groin injury.  With starter Joonas Korpisalo struggling, Sogaard had an opportunity to carve out some playing time but the 23-year-old didn’t fare well in those chances.  He had four appearances but struggled to the tune of a 5.09 GAA and a .825 SV%.

Sogaard has been viewed as a goalie of the future for the Sens and has fared much better in his AHL appearances this season, putting up a 2.48 GAA with a .920 SV% in 16 games, numbers that put him in the top ten league-wide in both categories.  With Ottawa off until February 10th, Sogaard will get an opportunity to play a few games before potentially being brought back.

As for Mandolese, he has been recalled several times on emergency loans dating back to last season, seven times in fact.  However, the 23-year-old hasn’t seen much action at the top level, getting into just three games with Ottawa in 2022-23.  Mandolese has spent most of this season with Belleville, playing to a 3.38 GAA and a .895 SV% in 16 contests.  He’ll get to collect an NHL salary for the next week and a bit, a nice reward for someone on a two-way contract before being sent back down before Ottawa’s next game.

Ottawa Senators Place Rourke Chartier On Waivers

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Jan. 31: Chartier has cleared waivers and can be sent to Belleville, TSN’s Chris Johnston reports Wednesday.

Jan. 30: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Ottawa Senators have placed forward Rourke Chartier on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Due to the amount of injuries to start the season, Chartier was brought in to serve in a depth forward role for the Senators this season.

A surprise addition to the roster out of training camp, before this season in Ottawa, Chartier had not yet made an NHL team out of training camp before in his career. Before a handful of call-ups last year by the Senators, Chartier’s last previous game in the NHL came back on November 11, 2018. Nearly doubling his career totals in games played this season, Chartier has produced two goals and three points over 34 games for Ottawa this year.

Aside from his track record in the NHL, Chartier has been a solid AHL player throughout his career, suiting up for the San Jose Barracuda, Toronto Marlies, as well as Belleville. Since his professional career began during the 2016-17 season, Chartier has accrued 222 games played over seven years in the AHL, scoring 62 goals and 135 points in the process. Over those seven years, Chartier’s respective team has made the playoffs four times, allowing Chartier to score three goals and 11 points in 18 postseason contests.

Senators Have Reported Interest In Chris Tanev

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  • During the Insider Trading segment, TSN’s Darren Dreger mentions a new team interested in the services of Calgary Flames’ defenseman Chris Tanev; the Ottawa Senators. One would have to assume that if the Senators were to acquire Tanev at the trade deadline, an extension would almost have to be worked out, given that they are all but out of the playoff race even at this point in the season. However, the reported interest in Tanev may just be a ploy to drive up the price for their intra-provincial rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Five Players Facing Charges Connected To 2018 Sexual Assault Investigation

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5:50 p.m.: Attorneys representing Foote have confirmed that the London Police Service has charged him with sexual assault, per Westhead. Claiming innocence in the statement, Foote’s attorneys did not confirm what plea he would enter.

4:50 p.m.: Attorneys representing Hart have confirmed that the London Police Service has charged him with sexual assault, per TSN’s Chris Johnston. Claiming innocence in the statement, Hart’s attorneys did not confirm what plea he would enter.

4:45 p.m.: Attorneys representing Dube have confirmed that the London Police Service has charged him with sexual assault, per Westhead. Dube will enter a not-guilty plea before the court.

3:14 p.m.: Attorneys representing McLeod have confirmed that the London Police Service has charged him with sexual assault, per Westhead. McLeod will enter a not-guilty plea before the court.

2:41 p.m.: Five players whose rights are owned by NHL teams are facing charges stemming from a London, Ontario police investigation into an alleged 2018 sexual assault involving members of the Canadian men’s national junior team, TSN’s Rick Westhead reports Tuesday. Per Westhead, Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Devils center Michael McLeod, Devils defenseman Cal Foote, and Flames winger Dillon Dubé have been directed to surrender to London police.

Senators forward prospect Alex Formenton, who has not been under contract with the team since 2022, is the fifth player facing charges and surrendered himself to London police Sunday, according to his attorneys.

Robyn Doolittle of The Globe and Mail first reported last week that five players had been told to surrender to police to face charges connected to the 2018 incident. Neither the NHL nor the Flyers, Devils, Flames, or Senators have released statements on the matter.

As Ian Mendes and Chris Johnston of The Athletic outlined Tuesday, discipline for players involved in off-ice misconduct falls under the jurisdiction and discretion of league commissioner Gary Bettman. If league action is taken against any of the five players named, they have the right to file an appeal with an independent arbitrator.

It is unclear whether the Flyers, Devils and Flames have the jurisdiction to terminate the standard player’s contracts of Hart, McLeod, Foote, and Dubé, given the definition of a material breach of the contract is not expressly defined.

All four players remain on indefinite leaves of absence from their respective teams. Formenton is on an indefinite leave of absence from HC Ambrì-Piotta in the Swiss National League, where he’s contracted for the 2023-24 season.

The London Police Service is expected to hold a press conference next Monday to comment further on the charges. Attorneys for Hart, McLeod, Foote, and Dubé did not respond to or declined requests for comment from Westhead.

Evening Notes: Pettersson, Kane, Canucks

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Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that Ottawa Senators prospect Oskar Pettersson will join the team’s AHL affiliate in Belleville and make his debut with the team this weekend. Pettersson was selected 72nd overall in the 2022 NHL entry draft and will be joining a team in North America for the first time in his short career. Pettersson had been on loan from the Senators to Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League where he posted a single assist in 26 games.

Pettersson may have struggled offensively this season, but he has been a strong offensive contributor with Rögle BK J20 over the past three seasons registering 74 points in 74 games. The 19-year-old has shown that he can be a strong player along the boards and can play with the puck in traffic, both skills that should him thrive in the North American game.

Pettersson will likely debut on Friday against the Syracuse Crunch.

In other evening notes:

  • Detroit Red Wings reporter Daniella Bruce tweeted that winger Patrick Kane could suit up on Wednesday if he is 100%. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters that the team would know more tomorrow after practice but that the 35-year-old is very close to a return. Kane has been very effective this season in just 19 games with seven goals and nine assists, however, the team is inexplicably just 8-9-2 with him in the lineup and 18-9-3 without him.
  • Elliotte Friedman appeared on Donnie and Dhali today and said that the Canucks remain in pursuit of a top-six forward with Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm at the top of their list of potential targets. The Canucks are said to be looking at forwards who can play multiple positions up front and may need to outbid other teams to facilitate a trade with Calgary. The Flames and Canucks may be bitter rivals, but they have made one trade already this season with the Canucks acquiring defenseman Nikita Zadorov in exchange for two draft picks.

Dominik Kubalík, Travis Hamonic Nearing Returns

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Senators winger Dominik Kubalík could return to the lineup Monday against the Predators, interim head coach Jacques Martin said. The 28-year-old has missed four games with a hip injury, last suiting up on Jan. 20th against the Jets.

With a $2.5MM cap hit and an expiring contract, Kubalík could very well be an option to move at the deadline and help recoup some value for the struggling Sens. His underlying metrics are poor this season, though, which could turn off some teams’ hopes for a rebound. His 45.2% Corsi share at even strength is the worst among Senators forwards with at least 10 games played.

Senators Notes: Kubalik, Brannstrom, Kastelic, Kaliyev

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With Ottawa’s cap challenge dating back to the preseason, winger Dominik Kubalik’s presence on the roster has always felt a little tenuous.  Acquired in the move that sent Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, the 28-year-old’s inclusion seemed more for contract-matching purposes than filling a specific void in the lineup.  To that end, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Senators have been trying to move Kubalik for the past two months but have yet to find a taker.  Kubalik has nine goals and three assists in 41 games so far and is on an expiring contract that carries a $2.5MM cap charge.  When Anton Forsberg is ready to return from his injury, the Sens will be in a cap crunch so it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Steve Staios redouble his efforts to clear Kubalik’s contract from their books.

More from Ottawa:

  • Also from Garrioch’s piece, he suggests that there’s a sense that defenseman Erik Brannstrom and center Mark Kastelic could both be on the move. Brannstrom has been a regular on the third pairing most nights although he briefly lined up as a winger as well.  At a $2MM price tag, he’s a possible non-tender candidate this summer as he’ll have arbitration rights so if there’s a team that wants to take a look at him, moving him now would make some sense and help their cap situation.  Kastelic, meanwhile, has been scratched several times this month and has just two points in 28 games.  However, he does play with a physical edge and is winning over 56% of his draws this season so he could have some value as a depth piece elsewhere.
  • The Senators are among the teams believed to have shown some level of interest in Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports in his latest Toronto Star column. The 22-year-old had been a capable secondary scorer the last two seasons but has struggled this year with just six goals and eight assists in 37 games while being healthy scratched with some regularity lately.  There’s a connection between Kaliyev and the Sens front office as the winger played for OHL Hamilton in junior, a team run by Staios and owned by new team owner Michael Andlauer.

Senators Notes: Trade Targets, Martin, Tarasenko

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Ottawa Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios spoke with the media this morning to discuss a multitude of issues and concerns surrounding the franchise. In the mid-season update, Staios told the media that he has had a lot of discussions with other teams about potential trades and is looking to add players with leadership experience as well as complete 200-foot players.

The news isn’t that surprising given that the Senators don’t possess many players who have been part of a winning culture in the NHL. Outside of a couple of players, most of the Senators currently lineup have never played an NHL playoff game.

Staios’ desire to add complete players is also not surprising given that Ottawa has struggled to play a structured game over the past few seasons. While the offensive skill on the Senators is obvious, they don’t have a lot of defensively skilled forwards or defensemen and it’s been a glaring hole throughout their lineup for a few years now.

Staios mentioned that he would like to be active before the deadline but given most teams cap situation it is unlikely that the Senators will make many moves before the summer.

In other Ottawa notes:

  • Staios added that the Senators’ plan behind the bench is to have interim head coach Jacques Martin finish out the season. Martin hasn’t had a great start to his second run in Ottawa but did receive praise from Staios who said that Martin has laid a foundation for this group. Martin who has long been a good defensive coach, was seemingly brought into Ottawa to help the team find a defensive identity going forward. While the team didn’t see immediate improvement, they have shown signs of it lately with points in five of their last six games.
  • Staios also addressed the status of pending unrestricted free agent forward Vladimir Tarasenko. Staios said that he has not talked to the 32-year-old about a move, but he has been impressed with the former Stanley Cup winner. Tarasenko was signed last summer to a one-year $5MM contract and has been as advertised with 12 goals and 19 assists in 41 games. While he is no longer a perennial 30-goal scorer, he is still providing offense at five-on-five and is on pace for 24 goals.

Jakob Chychrun Comments On Trade Speculation

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With the Senators struggling this season, some sort of core shakeup is expected under new GM Steve Staios.  Accordingly, some have suggested that defenseman Jakob Chychrun could be a candidate to be moved.  The blueliner spoke with Ian Mendes of The Athletic (subscription link) and voiced his frustration about being involved in trade speculation once again (he was in rumors for multiple years while in Arizona).  He also pushed back on any suggestions that he has soured on playing in Ottawa, going as far as saying that he’s “loving every moment here”.  While his desire may be to remain with the Sens, teams are certainly calling about Chychrun who has one year left on his contract after this season with a below-market $4.6MM cap hit.  He has 27 points in 43 games so far this season while logging over 22 minutes a night.

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